The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana

It may be interesting to some persons to learn how it came about that
Vatsyayana was first brought to light and translated into the English
language. It happened thus. While translating with the pundits the
'Anunga runga, or the stage of love,' reference was frequently found to
be made to one Vatsya. The sage Vatsya was of this opinion, or of that
opinion. The sage Vatsya said this, and so on. Naturally questions were
asked who the sage was, and the pundits replied that Vatsya was the
author of the standard work on love in Sanscrit literature, that no
Sanscrit library was complete without his work, and that it was most
difficult now to obtain in its entire state. The copy of the manuscript
obtained in Bombay was defective, and so the pundits wrote to Benares,
Calcutta and Jeypoor for copies of the manuscript from Sanscrit
libraries in those places. Copies having been obtained, they were then
compared with each other, and with the aid of a Commentary called
'Jayamangla' a revised copy of the entire manuscript was prepared, and
from this copy the English translation was made. The following is the
certificate of the chief pundit:--

"The accompanying manuscript is corrected by me after comparing four
different copies of the work. I had the assistance of a Commentary
called 'Jayamangla' for correcting the portion in the first five parts,
but found great difficulty in correcting the remaining portion, because,
with the exception of one copy thereof which was tolerably correct, all
the other copies I had were far too incorrect. However, I took that
portion as correct in which the majority of the copies agreed with each
other."

The 'Aphorisms on Love,' by Vatsyayana, contains about one thousand two
hundred and fifty slokas or verses, and are divided into parts, parts
into chapters, and chapters into paragraphs. The whole consists of
seven parts, thirty-six chapters, and sixty-four paragraphs. Hardly
anything is known about the author. His real name is supposed to be
Mallinaga or Mrillana, Vatsyayana being his family name. At the close of
the work this is what he writes about himself:

"After reading and considering the works of Babhravya and other ancient
authors, and thinking over the meaning of the rules given by them, this
treatise was composed, according to the precepts of the Holy Writ, for
the benefit of the world, by Vatsyayana, while leading the life of a
religious student at Benares, and wholly engaged in the contemplation of
the Deity. This work is not to be used merely as an instrument for
satisfying our desires. A person acquainted with the true principles of
this science, who preserves his Dharma (virtue or religious merit), his
Artha (worldly wealth) and his Kama (pleasure or sensual gratification),
and who has regard to the customs of the people, is sure to obtain the
mastery over his senses. In short, an intelligent and knowing person,
attending to Dharma and Artha and also to Kama, without becoming the
slave of his passions, will obtain success in everything that he may
do."

It is impossible to fix the exact date either of the life of Vatsyayana
or of his work. It is supposed that he must have lived between the first
and the sixth centuries of the Christian era, on the following
grounds:--He mentions that Satkarni Srtvahan, a king of Kuntal, killed
Malayevati his wife with an instrument called kartari by striking her in
the passion of love, and Vatsya quotes this case to warn people of the
danger arising from some old customs of striking women when under the
influence of this passion.